Jamaican Student Recovers from Parkland School Shooting

Kyle Laman, 15, grand-nephew of Jamaican author Glen Laman, is one of three students who remain hospitalized in the Broward General hospital system after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He is “stable and getting better,” but still in intensive care, his mother said Friday. 17 people, most of them children, would never return home. Medics raced the injured to area hospitals, including a 15-year-old named Kyle Laman who was shot in the leg.

“I haven’t left his side,” Marie Laman told the Sun Sentinel in a brief telephone interview shortly before noon. “He’s still in the ICU.”

Kyle Laman had surgery at Broward General in Deerfield Beach earlier this week to repair ligament damage to his ankle and foot, which were shredded and shattered by bullets fired from an AR-15 rifle by a former student. Fourteen students and three educators were killed in the rampage.

As of Friday morning, one victim remained at Broward General and two remained at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, according to Broward Health spokeswoman Jennifer Smith. All three were in fair condition, but she said policy prevented her from identifying the victims or giving greater detail about their injuries. Smith said one victim was discharged from Broward Health North on Thursday.

A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy Brenda Louis says she’s just a rookie, serving only two years on the force, but she’s also the mom of a 16-year-old who can relate to what too many parents felt last Wednesday.

“It just me really hard,” said Louis. “I don’t know how long I cried, but I cried.”

Deputy Louis was later assigned to a detail on Kyle’s floor at Broward Health.

“When Kyle came out from surgery, I just felt it in my heart — it was really heavy in me to pray for him,” said Louis. “My sister actually texted me and she said, you need to pray for these kids — you are placed there for a reason.”

“I just took a risk, and I asked the mom and the dad is it okay if I pray for Kyle and they were very ecstatic they were happy.”

A picture showing Louis and Kyle has been shared many times over social media, but since her eyes were closed, Louis can’t say who took the picture.

Louis is speaking, but she cannot recall what she said. With her hand on Kyle’s leg, Deputy Louis says “she and God were having a conversation.”

“I just believe prayer is very powerful,” Louis says. Some angels don’t wear white. Some of them wear green. A rookie on the force and a veteran in her faith, Louis says she’ll keep praying.

“It’s going to be hard, I guarantee you that it’s going to be hard. Just prayer and knowing that God is there, they’re going to get through it.” Louis has yet to actually speak with Kyle, but she plans to meet him and hug him and pray with him again.

Support Kyle by clicking on his Go Fund Me Page: https://www.gofundme.com/raising-money-for-laman-family